Dovlet Yagshimuradov has put Turkmenistan on the map. Embarking on a fruitful run throughout 2024, Yagshimuradov nabbed his place in the PFL 2024 Championships with a unanimous decision victory over 2022’s bracket winner, Rob Wilkinson. Walking into the finals of his very first promotional tournament, the Turkmen found himself standing opposite yet another PFL title holder, Impa Kasanganay. The reigning light heavyweight king claimed the 205-lb. strap last year and hadn’t suffered any setbacks in the weight class on his road to the championship.
Before joining one of the biggest MMA organizations in the world, Yagshimuradov had built up an impressive 17-5-1 record competing on the European regional scene, notably having fought future UFC standout Magomed Ankalaev back in 2014, losing the fight by unanimous decision. He also had a sizable seven bout run in the Russian-based company Absolute Championship Berkut, where he eventually captured their light heavyweight strap and defended it two times. He then went on to sign with Bellator in 2021, racking up a total record of 3-2 during his tenure there, with his only defeats coming against Karl Albrektsson and Corey Anderson (who later became the promotion’s 205-lb. champion).
After a middling venture into the UFC, which saw him on the wrong end of arguably the greatest knockout in mixed martial arts history, Impa Kasanganay reinvented himself when he joined the PFL in 2023. Making a statement in his debut match, the Kill Cliff FC product blasted Osama Elsaidy during that year’s Challenger Series. This kicked off a fantastic stint in the light heavyweight class for the Florida native, with Kasanganay going 8-0 in the division and taking the 2023 championship in the process. His only blemish during this streak came when he moved down in weight to face off with Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen, where he lost a highly competitive split decision.
To describe Kasanganay and Yagshimuradov’s bout at the PFL 2024 Championships, only one word is needed: War. From the very start of the contest, both men came at each other looking to put the other’s lights out in painful fashion. After sometime, however, it was Kasanganay who started to falter as he recklessly charged in to starch Yagshimuradov in the pocket and ended up getting rocked by a huge punch. The Turkmen then followed up with a flurry of blows that slumped the defending champion against the cage before a full minute passed, making Yagshimuradov the new PFL Light Heavyweight Champion.
Walking out of the SmartCage $1 million richer, Yagshimuradov recorded a massively impressive performance by taking out one of the company’s most prominent homegrown stars, in less than a minute to boot. He has also etched his name into the sport’s history books as the first man from Turkmenistan to win a major MMA title.
